Page 95 of Christmas with Brother's Best Friends
“What the hell are we going to do, Max? They won’t let us see her,” Josh asks me.
I part my lips to answer because I always have an answer, but no words leave me. Only defeated silence.
We can’t just break down the door to her parents’ house to see her. We have to convince her family that we want the best for her and just hope that they let us even set eyes on her. But there aren’t many rays of hope in sight right now.
Just a tunnel of darkness that goes on and on.
Chapter forty-three
Chapter Forty-Three: Josh
I’m not giving up. Not yet.
The next day, I gather the guys and drive us all to Emma’s parents’ house, my grip on the steering wheel tight and determined. All the things that I could possibly say run around in my mind on a loop, priming me for the confrontation that’s about to happen.
Talking to her family won’t be easy, but Emma isn’t picking up her phone when we call or text. This is the only way that we’ll be able to reach her, and I don’t want her to think for a second that we’re not concerned about her.
“They’re not going to let us see her,” Ryan says from the passenger’s seat.
I glance over at him, noticing a haze in his eyes. He looks like he’s already halfway given up. “We might get lucky. We can’t just not try.”
“Yeah, we can’t pass up the chance to see her,” Max speaks up from the backseat.
Ryan quietly shakes his head, his shoulders weighed down and heavy.
I pull into Emma’s parents’ neighborhood, passing by familiar houses before pulling into the driveway where I used to park my bike after school. I shut off my car before throwing open my door. “Let’s go.”
Max hops out immediately, while Ryan pauses for a moment before slowly hauling himself out.
We don’t even make it to the porch before the front door flies open, and Andrew and Ethan step out with warning glares on their faces.
“Of fucking course,” Ryan mutters under his breath behind me as we slow down to a stop at the bottom of the porch stairs.
“You might as well turn around and get back in your car,” Ethan tells us as he crosses his arms over his chest, squaring his shoulders like he’s a human blockade.
It’s three against two, but I’d rather us not fight or argue.
Wistful thinking.
“We just want to check on Emma,” I reply as I give them a pleading look. I’ll resort to begging if I have to because Ineedto see her. I couldn’t sleep for more than an hour last night because I kept tossing and turning, my mind constantly racing.
“She’s fine. Now, leave,” Andrew demands as he takes a step forward, his fingers curling into fists. An obvious threat.
I’ve seen him knock out someone before with one punch when we were in our late teens and rowdy. He’s not all bark and no bite. Hewillbite.
“This isn’t fair, and you know it. She’s carrying our child. She’s with us,” Max argues as he steps up next to me.
“Not any longer. She’s with her family,” Andrew states in a firm voice. “We won’t break her heart. We won’t put her wellbeing in jeopardy. Did you really think the four of you could be a happy, healthy family? An actual relationship?”
“It was doomed from the start,” Ethan adds, his words coming out cold and harsh. “You’ll just hurt her if you keep this circus act up.”
“Circus act?” Ryan bites out, his shoulder bumping against mine as he steps forward.
I grab his arm to keep him from storming up the stairs toward Andrew and Ethan. Maybe I should worry more about him starting a fight than the brothers. “Stop it, Ryan. You’ll just make things worse.”
Ryan scoffs and jerks his arm away from me. “How can things possibly get worse? We can’t even see her!”
“I don’t want to find out,” I hiss at him through gritted teeth, needing him to be on his best behavior if at all possible.
